Sub wat fob eleoteio railway oonductoes



SUBWAY PoR ELECTRIC RAILWAY GONDUGTORS. No. 502,821.

Patented Aug.

UNITED STATES f PATENT OEEICE.

ISAAC LA RUE JOHNSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SUBWAY FOR ELECTRIC- RAILWAY CONDUCTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 502,821, dated August 8, 1893. y Applicatie nea october 1o, 17890.: Een'ewfi Decemterple, 1892. sel-u1 No. 455,359. m0 man.)

To all whom it may concern'.- v

'Beitknown that I, isAAc LA RUEk JOHNSON, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented a new and useful-Improvement 1n Subways and Conduite for the Transmission of Power, for the Propulsion of Street- Cars More Particularly, of which the'foll'owlng is a specification. Y.

The object of this invention is-to provide a subway or conduit which will obviate the necessity of tearing up the-road bed and track, and thus interrupt the Vtravel of an established line of street railway, when it becomes necssary to convert the' same into an electric roa A further object is to simplify such subways and lessen the cost of constructing the same, and at the same time increase the .efficlency; render the same compact, easy'of access for clearing or repairs, and of the fewest parts possible consistent with strength, utility and reliability; all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings which form apart of this application Figure l represents a sectional elevation of my improved subway or conduit, with an electrical conductor therein, supported by a bracket, which will be more fully herein described. Fig. 2 represents the trolley which is to be used in connection with my improved subway. Figg shows a bracket arm which supports the conductor, and Fig. 4 shows a sectional elevation of a modificationV of my improved subway.

In the drawings A, Fig. lv represents a cross tie of the road way with which my improved subway is connected, B, the subway or conduit, C, the pendant for the support of the bracket D 'F represents the guard plate which forms one of the walls of the trolley slot G, the oppositewall thereof being formedby the road rail adjacent thereto. TheA subway proper is semi-cylindrical in cross sec-Y tion, and has its walls extended in parallel planes to any desired height consistent with the requirements of the case, though it may be made very shallow. The ties have their ends on that side of the road, overhanging'ithe subway, and at suitable intervals the pendants are. attached to the sidesl thereof. In Fig. 1 they are shown as boltedy to the tie and l at the same time partly embedded in thematerial of which the subway is composed. This is done for the purpose of securing greater solidity in the lentire structure. This pendant may be of any suitable material, such as iron, wood, glass, rubber, or indurated fiber; the'last being preferred as it possesses the requisites ot' non-conductivity, strength, lightness and durability. The bracketD may also be of any desirable form and material 'which will aford the best results in regard to nonconducting qualities, and other requisites, and upon this the conductor is to be secured in any approved manner.

The trolley E, which is shown in Fig. 2, consists, in this instance, of a lever having alongitudinal slot therein, by which it is pivoted tothe car, as at a. This slot has anenlargement, which is. shown at e by which the movement of the trolley may be the more easily controlled. At the` lower contacting end of the trolley is located a pulley or roller f, which rests upon the-conductor when the circuit is closed, and this communicatesv with a con- 'ductor e located within the lower arm of the trolley,and is indicated in thedrawings by dotted lines. This trolley must be of suitable insulating material, or have the conductor therein so insulated as to insure the transmission kof the current uninterruptedly to the motor at or about the point indicated by the Vletter a.

farthest from the subway or conduit being used for the return current.

' The conduit may be made of any suitable material. In Fig. 1 it is shown as made of y,some plastic composition which may be molded and set or hardened within-the trench.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 some more durable material will be required for the conduit, such, for instance, as iron, as it will be provided with lugs I which are bolted to the under side of the cross tie or sleeper,

ICO

and these, in turn to the stringer. A sleeperis embedded between the two tracks, and to this the guard plate F is bolted so as to maintain it in the vertical position. Man-holes H are provided at suitable intervals along the line in order that any dirt or other obstructions that may find entrance into the subway may be removed therefrom. The guard plate may be so secured in. position as to be easily removed therefrom, and thus enlarge the trolley slot and so admit of repairs being made to the interior of the conduit.

This conduit, it will be perceived, is designed to be located outside the` tracks, and not between them as has heretofore been the oase. My reasons for adopting this arrangement are, that a smaller conduit than usual will be required, as a depth of from twelve to twenty-two inches will be ample, it is thought, for operative purposes. In practice, should the conduit become disabled, the road can readily use horse cars while repairs are being iliade, and, in any event, repairs can be carried on without interrupting travel, and in the conversion of horse roads, horses may be used up to the very last moment in which the changes are being made, all of which is a matter of great importance now,in view of the requirements of the service.

In order to prevent any vibration of the ties, they may have anchors connecting certain of them with the road bed, as shown in dotted lines at G.

The inner wall of the subway B is reinforced in the manner indicated in dotted lines at `B Fig. 1. This wall is carried up and over,and made heavier, so that that part which is beneath and between the ties will form a roof for the subway and a support for the overhanging portion of the roadway.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric railway, the rails, the subway, the ties having their ends overhanging said subway, and the guard plate forming, with one of said rails, the trolley slot, substantially as described.

2. A subway for railways, located beneath one of the rails and supporting the same, and having the ends of the ties overhanging said subway, and forming, with the rails thereon,

overhanging said subway, the rail on that y side, and a parallel guard plate forming the trolley slot, and having bracket pendants secured to the under side of the ties at desired intervals for supporting the conductor brackets.

4. A subway for railways located vbeneath one of the rails thereof, cross ties having their ends overhanging said subway, a rail forming one side of the trolley slot, and an adjustable guard plate the opposite side thereof, pendants secured to the under side of the ties within the subway, and brackets on said pendants for supporting a conductor.

5. A subway for railways located beneath one of the rails and contiguous thereto, ties overhanging the same, and forming with the rail thereon, one side of the slot, and having a bracket supporting pendant bolted to the under side of the ties and secured to the conduit to give steadiness to the ties, and rails thereon.

6. A subway for railways, having one side edge thereof provided with longitudinal iianges for attachment to the ties, the opposite side thereof prolonged and supporting a guard plate.

7. A .trolley having a longitudinal pivot slot therein, and a longitudinal bore through its lower arm to receive a conductor which communicates with a contacting pulley on its lower end and with the car motor, through an opening near the pivot slot.

8. A subway or conduit for railways, located partly under one of the rails and outside of the tracks, and having the cross ties thereof overhanging said subway, said cross ties, together with the rail of said track and its support forming a covering for said subway or conduit, and protecting the same from injury by heavily loaded wagons passing over or across it.

ISAAC LA RUE JOHNSON. Witnesses:

T. L. TALcoTT, J. W. FROST. 

